Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 4:18 pm Post subject: Beefy chili

Every year on Halloween I make up a huge pot of chili, bread and apple crisp and invite a few friends to come over, hand out candy and have a few drinks. The last two years I have made a veggie chili because of my neighbor but, now she's gone and I intend to beef it up, hahaha. Do any of you have a spectacular recipe for me?_________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

I usually add lots of things to it like kidney beans, corn niblets, peas, tomatoes, herbs etc and sometimes even carrot and other veg diced finely. Also long slow cooking. It is quite common for me to start it in teh morning and cook all day gradually reducing the liquid so it is ready for dinner that night. The next day is even better.

One thing I do is to drain off any oil or fat after browning the minced meat. I hate greasy/oily foods and find draining it gives a better texture at the end.

I will be interested to read other peoples recipes of this one.

Also.... what is an apple crisp? Is it a dessert or am I totally off the track?_________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

My husband is always looking for a really hot chilli recipe - so hope one appears so he can try it! He has just made a hot chilli potato salad this afternoon, really too hot so he toned it down with mayo! _________________Yesterday is history...
Tomorrow's a mystery...
Today is a gift...
That's why they call it the present ....

I dont exactly have a recipe, I just sort of wing it based on past recipes I have tried. So please forgive questionable measurements on the ingredients. It is a bit of chemistry experiment in the end. I use lean cuts beef, instead of ground, and it is so good! My husband has dubbed this Triple Chili, as I seem to use 3 of each type of ingredient. I made it last weekend, and event went so far as to use 3 different cuts of beef.

Brown beef, seasoned w/ salt and pepper (in a little EVOO if very lean), remove from pot (drain if needed)
Saute onion and shallot in a bit of beef rendering or EVOO
When translucent, add peppers
After a few minutes, add garlic, saute until golden
Sprinkle w/ 1-2 tbs flour, stir until absorbed and heated through
Add spices, stir in
Deglaze w/ most of the beer, bring to boil
Add tomatoes, beans, add beef back in, bring to boil
Add coffee and cocoa
Simmer about 20 minutes
Use reserved tomato juice or remaining beer to adjust liquid if needed
Season to taste with salt, additional chili powder

Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:36 am Post subject:

bluedog,
This is the second time tonight you have come up trumps. Your recipe sounds great, I will definitely try this one. Thank you very much._________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

Good luck Erin, and do taste as you go - as I said, this is a chemistry experiment, not a recipe; I just pour things in my hand and dump them in. I just fiddle until I get a taste I am satisfied with. But you seem to know your way around the kitchen enough to come up with your own version sure to please. Enjoy!

I hear you on the baking! I have to force myself to read and re-read the instructions, the order of preparation, etc. I am just now dabbling in baking, after years of declaration that I was incapbable.

Thanks, Bluedog, I'll pass the concoction on to my husband! He used to live in North Africa where the recipes included a 'slack handful' of this, and a 'slack handful' of that - so that's his style too! _________________Yesterday is history...
Tomorrow's a mystery...
Today is a gift...
That's why they call it the present ....

This is the recipe that I developed. I had to go online to find it LOL! It was in the computer that got fried. This sounds more complicated than it really is. Essentially, you're cooking various things in a skillet with a bit of oil, and then transferring to a large stewpot for long simmering.

Ann's TX Chili

This is a richly flavored, mild chili. Adjust the heat with cayenne pepper or seeded, chopped chipotles en adobo. Real chili takes time to prepare, and tastes best when made a day or two ahead and reheated. This chili also freezes well.

Slit dried chilies open. Remove and discard stems and seeds. Rinse chilies. Place in a deep bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for at least one hour. Drain, reserving liquid. Chop chilies finely and put in stew pot.

In large skillet, saute garlic in oil until translucent but not browned. With slotted spoon, add to stew pot. Saute onions in remaining oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add cumin seed and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to stew pot. Deglaze skillet with a little of the broth and add to pot. Wipe skillet dry. Working in batches, brown stew meat in skillet, using just enough oil to prevent meat from sticking. Keep the skillet uncrowded enough and the heat high enough that the meat is browned by hot oil rather than steaming in its own juices.

Remove cooked meat to the stew pot, deglazing the pan with broth once or twice during the browning process and after the last batch of meat is done. Add remaining broth to pot along with beer, tomatoes, oregano and liquid smoke. Add reserved chili liquid, avoiding grit and solids that have settled to the bottom. Add water to cover meat about 1-1/2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 2-1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to cover meat.

Combine masa and water. Stir until smooth and set aside while chili cooks. Lastly, add masa mixture to simmering chili after cooking time has elapsed, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Continue simmering, uncovered, stirring frequently until chili is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add salt and cayenne or chipotles to taste.

my blogging partner uses this recipe for turkey chili - i'm sure it can be adapted for beef? just to give her credit, here's a link to her entry and below is the pasted recipe:

I used to serve this recipe with my favorite cornbread, but ever since being diagnosed as a borderline diabetic, Ive had to forgo this beloved treat. Even without it, this chili is still a hearty meal.

In a deep stockpot or dutch oven, saute the onion, peppers and garlic until tender. Add the turkey and brown completely. Then add the chili powder, salt and pepper, cilantro, cinnamon, cocoa powder, tomatoes, kidney beans and red wine and bring to a boil. Cover and slowly simmer for 45 minutes to a hour and serve. Its even better the next day when the flavors are fully melded!

Perhaps not the beefiest chili around, but I really like the addition of pork to chili. It adds a really nice flavor, and with the chunks of steak, it still tastes pretty beefy. I think using black beans rather than the more common kidney beans is also great in chili-- black beans seem so much more flavorful to me!

Beans: Pick over and rinse the beans. Put the beans, 1 cup beef broth (the rest will be used later), bay leaf, and smashed garlic clove in a large pot. Add enough water to cover, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the mixture simmers, and add water as necessary to keep the beans just covered in water. Cook until the beans aren't yet totally tender, but still mostly cooked. Remove the bay leaf and garlic clove. Salt the beans to taste.

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil. Add the ground meats, and cook until no longer pink. Add the steak chunks and garlic, and saute for a few minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook until you can smell the spices, then add the beer/water mixture. Cover, and bring to a boil over fairly high heat. Reduce the heat so that it simmers, and let cook for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, and let cook 5 more minutes. Drain the beans, and add along with the tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Stir in 2 cups beef broth. Simmer until the vegetables and beans are tender, adding more broth as necessary if the chili seems dry. Stir in cilantro, then salt to taste.

My chili recipe is a secret that even Friend Wife doesn't get to see. However, some tips for making a beefy chili:

1. Skip the chopped meat. That's for Rachael Ray. The best chile is made with shredded meat. But, because that can be a PITA, most serious chili cooks use diced. A small dice, no more than about 1/4 inch.

2. A variety of chilies makes a more flavorsome, complex chili than does using just one kind. Check out mole recipes to get the idea.

4. The addition of chocolate makes a deeper bodied, more balanced chili.

5. If using tomato product it's best to add it towards the end of the cooking time. Tomato has a tendency to toughen other ingredients.

6. Do not be afraid of long ingredients lists. The best chili I've ever eaten was made by a former boss (who also kept the recipe secret). He did reveal to me, however, that it contained 52 ingredients.

7. Lastly, low and slow is the way to go. If you cook it for anything less than six hours you're working too fast. Mine takes two days to complete.